1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cleaning mops, and more particularly to a cleaning mop having a cleaning liquid dispenser which wets the roller, a rotary driven roller which picks up particles of debris, and a squeegee which cleans dirty liquid and debris from the roller and directs it into a collection tank on the mop.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Conventional floor mops and sponge mops are known wherein the cleaning head or sponge is wet with a cleaning liquid and the mop is pushed over the floor surface. Some of these devices are provided with a lever type wringer which squeezes excess liquid from mop head or sponge. To clean a dirty floor with the conventional mops, it requires wetting the cleaning mop head or sponge by submerging it in the cleaning liquid, wringing it out, scrubbing the floor, wringing out the dirty water, wetting the mop head or sponge with rinse water, wringing out excess rinse water, wiping the floor with the rinse water, and wringing out the dirty rinse water.
Although these devices may clean a floor, the operation consumes a great deal of time and effort. Also, some particles of debris may be captured on the mop head or sponge, most conventional floor mops and sponge mops merely push small particles around on the floor surface, rather than actually picking it up off the floor surface.
Wulff, U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,891 discloses a floor cleaning machine supported on wheels having a scrub brush, a dirty water pickup nozzle, a clean rinse water outlet, and a dirty rinse water pickup nozzle. A pair of concentric chambers retain the clean and dirty water. As clean water empties from one chamber, the dirt water fills the other, such that the center of gravity stays substantially the same.
Lynn, U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,517 discloses a mop for removing waste liquid from a floor to be cleaned which has a handle, a container for receiving liquid from the surface being cleaned which is pivotally connected to the handle, a first and second cleaning pad and a roller-type wringer. The container pivots to either of the pads for receiving liquid wrung out of the pad by the wringer.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a cleaning mop having a cylindrical roller formed of adjacent disk-shaped rings of resilient foam material which engages and rotates relative to a floor surface to be cleaned to scrub the surface when the mop is pushed in a forward direction and picks up particles of debris when the mop is moved in either direction. When the mop is pushed in a forward direction; the roller is engaged by a drive mechanism to rotate; a valve opens and cleaning liquid flows onto the roller from an onboard reservoir and a gap is formed between the rings by separator fingers as they approach the floor surface; the roller rings engage and move relative to the floor surface and the gap closes to capture particles of debris between the rings; and the dirty liquid and particles carried around the circumferential path on the roller are removed by a squeegee plate and collected in an onboard collection tank. When the mop is pulled in the rearward direction, the roller is disengaged from the drive mechanism to rotate freely and the valve closes to shut off the supply of cleaning liquid. As the disengaged roller rolls on the floor surface the separator fingers widen the gap between adjacent rings and as they approach and engage the floor surface the gap closes to capture particles of debris between the rings; and the particles carried around the circumferential path on the roller are removed by the squeegee plate and collected in the onboard collection tank.